Latest news with #DarynMcKenny
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- Science
- The Advertiser
Indigenous knowledge helps uncover hidden 'koala city'
When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction." When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction." When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction." When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction."
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Science
- Perth Now
Indigenous knowledge helps uncover hidden 'koala city'
When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction."
West Australian
7 hours ago
- Science
- West Australian
Indigenous knowledge helps uncover hidden 'koala city'
When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Secret' colony discovered hidden in impenetrable Aussie forest
High above steep ravines and unstable ground disturbed by years of underground mining, a "secret" population of endangered koalas has been discovered. Around 300 of the marsupials are estimated to be hidden in protected forest north of Newcastle, a bustling industrial centre that's Australia's seventh-largest city. It's only through the development of technology that University of Newcastle researchers were able to count the marsupials inside Sugarloaf State Conservation Area. 'Without drones there's no way we would have been able to get into Sugarloaf to survey. Trying to get ground search teams down into these areas would be virtually impossible,' PhD candidate Shelby Ryan told Yahoo News. The University of Newcastle's Dr Ryan Witt said there had been an odd report of koalas in the area, but no confirmation of a stable population. Because the drone-mounted cameras can record imagery with strong detail, the researchers were able to verify joeys were present in the forest, meaning they are successfully breeding. Related: Tiny speck in thermal photo confirms presence of increasingly rare animal 'The koala population at Sugarloaf seems to be a bit of a secret even though it's in close proximity to Newcastle,' he said. Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man Daryn McKenny grew up in the area but never saw koalas until recently. 'It wasn't until about five years ago that I first spotted a koala at Sugarloaf,' he said. He's since been involved with helping the university team in their search for the marsupials. 'To know there's close to 300 is just incredible,' he said. The Sugarloaf project was part of a survey of 67,300 hectares of bushland in NSW. It used a newly created counting model that combined thermal drone searches, spotlight verification and statistical modelling. Funded by World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia and published in the journal Biological Conservation, the complete study estimated there were 4,357 koalas living across 208 sites. If money is secured for future surveys, then researchers will be able to track movements in population numbers. In the immediate future, it's hoped the work will lead conservation efforts to help preserve the landscapes where the koalas live. 'We can protect and restore habitat, and try to reduce the impacts of road expansion and other infrastructure. It can also help us manage the threats of bushfires,' Ryan said. In NSW and Queensland, experts predict koalas are on track to be extinct by 2050. In Victoria and South Australia, government surveys suggest koala numbers are stable and even overabundant in some areas. But there are concerns that development, habitat fragmentation, fire and the blue gum timber industry are creating a perfect storm that will soon see these populations also threatened. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
